Dossiers Oubliés

I’ll admit: I approached *Dossiers Oubliés* skeptical of yet another ‘forgotten crimes’ collection. But within minutes, I was hooked—not by gore, but by the sheer *weirdness* of these cases. Take the 1843 ‘Affaire du Fantôme de Lyon,’ where a murder suspect was acquitted after witnesses swore they saw the *victim’s ghost* point to the real killer. The audiobook doesn’t just tell you this; it drops you into the courtroom, letting the absurdity marinate. Gagnon Laramée’s delivery is masterful—his pacing is deliberate, almost funereal, but never drags. When he reads a killer’s final words (‘*Je n’ai rien à me reprocher, sauf d’avoir été trop bon*’), the irony lands like a guillotine. That said, this isn’t for true crime fans who crave deep dives. Each case clocks in around 6-8 minutes, which means you get the *essence* of the crime—motive, key twists, aftermath—but not exhaustive detail. One story about a nobleman who murdered his wife with arsenic-laced chocolates left me craving more about the forensic methods (or lack thereof) that let him walk free. And while the sparse production suits the historical tone, a *little* atmospheric sound design—a creaking gallows, distant crowd murmurs—could’ve elevated the immersion. Still, the brevity is also its strength: this is true crime as *amuse-bouche*, each case a self-contained morsel of darkness. Perfect for a commute or a late-night listen when you want to be disturbed, not overwhelmed.